Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/867995
The company was named for Fuzhou's most famous export, its renowned "bodiless lacquer- ware," in which a model is covered in layers of grass linen or silk and brushed with layer upon layer of lacquer. After the original model has been created, more than 20 steps—blending the lacquer, oiling, shape-setting, and polishing— follow. The craft, which was first developed in the Qianlong period of the Qing dynasty, is regarded as one of the three treasures of Chinese arts and crafts, along with the cloisonné of Beijing and the porcelain of Jingdezhen. And though all three techniques have been mechanized over time to fulfill the demand for cheap exports, the mission of Foochow Lacquer has been to gather and com- mission only pieces made by hand. "My father loved cloisonné," Dennis says. "The complicated manufacturing process is entirely manual. He always believed that workmanship would live on in the art object itself." Mr. Lam's friendship with Roger Thomas predates the building of Wynn Macau by at least two decades. "When my father knew that Wynn was planning to build a new hotel in Macau, he started to gather very fine artworks from China for his old friend Mr. Thomas," Dennis recalls. That collection yielded the mighty copper lions by the Wynn Tower and Rotunda entrances, a huge pair of yellow cloisonné incense burners 78 PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID HARTUNG 微型版的黃色 景泰藍香爐。 A yellow cloisonné incense burner in miniature. by reception, and, of course, the camels. In your wanderings through Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, you will see other items from Foochow—as well as miniature versions of the large art objects that Mr. Lam brought to Wynn. True to his operating philosophy that the integ- rity of the workmanship needed to be kept alive, Mr. Lam would never be satisfied with a simple reproduction. "When my father knew that Wynn had bought the famous Buccleuch vases"—a rare quartet of Qing dynasty vases whose only known equals occupy Buckingham Palace—"he wanted to make a miniature for Wynn," Dennis says. "They let us measure the original vases, and my father was so thrilled to have the chance to enjoy this marvelous porcelain ware." It took more than a year and a half (and several tries) to finish the final sample, which was completed by the famous porcelain artisans of Jingdezhen, a process that Lam says reflects the kind of person and curator his father was. "Even though he was a business- man, he would not compromise his principles for gains," he says. "As I worked side by side with my father, I learned that this industry requires a lot of diligence and patience—and passion for this art." So when passing by those iconic camels, you might remember the man who brought them here, and consider them his way of welcoming you to a little oasis he helped to create. 友Thomas搜羅精美的中國藝術品。』除了酒店大堂 的景泰藍駱駝，永利大樓和吉祥樹入口處的威武雄 壯的銅獅雕像，酒店前台旁邊那對巨大的黃色景泰 藍香爐，都出自林先生的收藏手筆。在永利澳門和 永利皇宮裡面，隨處可見林先生為永利搜集的大型 藝術作品的微型版，還有各種福州出產的精美手工 藝品， 林先生認為，手工創作的藝術應該得到更好 的保育和傳承，他從不滿足於製作簡單的複製 品。Dennis回憶說：『當父親知道永利購入了著名的 巴克勒公爵花瓶系列（一套極為珍稀的清朝花瓶， 世上唯一可與這套花瓶媲美的一套四件花瓶現存於 英國白金漢宮），他就想為永利製作一套微型版。永 利允許我們仔細測量花瓶的尺寸，父親極為激動， 他終於有機會近距離欣賞這套卓絕超凡的瓷器。』 林先生花了超過一年半的時間，在多次嘗試之後終 於製作出模型。模型由景德鎮的著名陶瓷大師製 作，Dennis覺得，製作過程折射出父親出色的創作 天賦和性格：『我與父親並肩工作時，從他身上學到 了從事這個行業必不可少的勤勉和耐性，還有對藝 術的充沛熱情。』下次路過那雙標誌性的駱駝的時 候，你或許會想起那個把它們帶到永利的人，更充 分地感受到他協助永利為歡迎你而打造的這一方藝 術樂土。